10 replies to this topic

[CSMatt]

Ever since 2003, Apple changed the firmware on their PowerPC machines so that they would no longer be able to boot the included Mac OS 9.2.2 naively.  However, I recall that Mac OS Classic supposedly can be copied entirely to another hard drive by copying the System and Applications folders.  If the System and Applications folders of a non-bootable version of Classic were placed in a disc image and used in a PowerMac emulator, would the image be able to successfully boot OS 9 on the emulator?

[Templeton Peck]

CSMatt, on Mar 27 2006, 02:12 AM, said:

Ever since 2003, Apple changed the firmware on their PowerPC machines so that they would no longer be able to boot the included Mac OS 9.2.2 naively.  However, I recall that Mac OS Classic supposedly can be copied entirely to another hard drive by copying the System and Applications folders.  If the System and Applications folders of a non-bootable version of Classic were placed in a disc image and used in a PowerMac emulator, would the image be able to successfully boot OS 9 on the emulator?

You must be talking about SheepShaver.  However, I would strongly recommend you stick with Apple's Classic mode, as it has much better compatibility, and integrates (almost) seamlessly with OS X.  Only problem is a PPC-based Mac is a requirement.  For whatever reason, Apple decided to kill the Classic mode on Intel-based Macs.  It's kinda weird that PPC Macs can run 22 year-old apps while the Intel Macs are limited to 5 years, but that's progress I guess.  Anyway, for your Intel Mac, SheepShaver is your only option so be thankful for Gwenole Beauchesne.

[CSMatt]

Not quite.  Im asking if it's possible to emulate the entire OS 9 operating system using a PowerPC emulator and the preinstalled Classic folders.  The reason I ask is because I was always under the impression that the OS needs to be installed within the emulator onto a blank image or loaded from a preexisting image.

[doubljdog]

I wish they would have kept classic, it would have been so easy to incorporate, i mean, basilisk II would fly on osx86

[Templeton Peck]

CSMatt, on Mar 27 2006, 01:45 PM, said:

Not quite.  Im asking if it's possible to emulate the entire OS 9 operating system using a PowerPC emulator and the preinstalled Classic folders.  The reason I ask is because I was always under the impression that the OS needs to be installed within the emulator onto a blank image or loaded from a preexisting image.

On a PPC-based Mac, you can use an emulator called Mac On Mac to emulate a 9.2.2 system.  Hypothetically, you should be able to copy your existing 9.2.2 System Folder to an HFS+ formatted disk image (with OS 9 drivers installed), and boot with Mac On Mac.  As I recall, however, Mac On Mac doesn't work with Tiger.  On an Intel-based Mac, your only option is SheepShaver, which can emulate up to OS 9.0.4, thus your existing 9.2.2 System Folder will not work with SheepShaver.

[CSMatt]

I tried that; it didn't work.  Mac on Mac seems to be very unreliable.

Granted, I didn't install OS 9 "Drivers."  Where would I find these, since I don't have an OS 9 install CD?

[Tom Groves]

You could try using PearPC to emulate the PPC architecture and install mac os... bet it's hella slow though! ugh

[Trombone_Bob]

When you format the drive in disk utility it gives you the choice of installing the os 9 driver.  Also Sheepshaver uses a disk image to run.  However once you install os 9.0.4 on Sheepshaver you can access your main computer as though it was a network drive.  Sheepshaver gives you all the classic support that you should need.

[A Nonny Moose]

Templeton Peck, on Mar 27 2006, 12:00 AM, said:

It's kinda weird that PPC Macs can run 22 year-old apps while the Intel Macs are limited to 5 years, but that's progress I guess.

Yes, because why run Word 2004 when you can run MacWrite!  

[iPPC]

doubljdog, on Mar 29 2006, 01:10 AM, said:

I wish they would have kept classic, it would have been so easy to incorporate, i mean, basilisk II would fly on osx86

It's too expensive to emulate Mac OS 9.x It would be so SLOOOOWWWW, because what Classic really did was, use an existing PPC processor's type then lie about it (either saying G3 or G4) to emulate Mac OS.

Easy peasy

[TheAppleFreak]

Sheepshaver is a very good emulator (I use the PC version to load 9.0 on the PCs at my school) but it cannot emulate OS 9.2.2.
If you have an earlier version of OS 9, then you can do it, but otherwise, not at all.
And as said earlier, Sheep relies on .hfv or .img files for emulating it, so as long as it is in a .img file (.dmg images don't work in Sheep and .hfv can't be mounted in Finder), you can access the files in the emulated copy of Mac through the Finder. And, as said earlier as well, you need to go to one of the configuraion tabs in SheepGUI and enable the guest to access your drives via networking. Also, you need to use slirp ethernet configuration for being able to access the internet.
And, if you don't already know, you need a ROM file. The newworld86 ROM is probably the best for this install, but you can use any other compatible ROM file.

And just one note about emulation speed, on a single-core 3.2 GHz Intel PC running XP, the OS 9 speed will be about 100 MHz.